Street-railway switch.



Nu. 693,944. Patented Feb. 25,1902.

W. J. BELL.

STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

(A pplication fllad Dec. 14, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Shed I.

(No Model.)

Patented Feb. 25, I902.

W. J. BELL.

STREET RAILWAY SWITCH.

(Application filed Dec. 14, 1901.) ("0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Shaei 2.

y/r A said roller.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'WALTER J. OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LEON F. MOSS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

STREET-RAI LWAY SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 693,944, dated February 25, 1902. Application filed December 14, 1901. Serial No. 85,985. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER J. BELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Street-Railway Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention, which relates to street-railway switches, is directed to improvements in the switch mechanism which forrnsthe subject-matter of my application for patent filed July 2, 1901, Serial No. 66,876.

The nature of my present improvements will be readily comprehended, reference being had to the following detailed description and to the accompanying drawings,-in which- Figure 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of a switch mechanism embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, enlarged, of the switch-throwing means. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view online 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is vertical sectional view on line 4 4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the resetting device. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6 6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the switchthrowing lever. Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views of the ratchet device.

Referring to the drawings by letter, A denotes a box or casing provided with a cover a. In the box is pivoted by means of a pin 1) a lever O,having two bifurcated arms extending in opposite directions from the pivoted end, and to one of which, 0, is connected by means of a bar (1 the switch-tongue E. r

f is a bell-crank lever pivoted at f, and g is a link connecting the lever f with the other arm 0 of the lever O. A coiled spring G has one end seated against a shoulder in the box, and its other end is connected with-the bellcrank lever in a manner to effect the rocking of the latter and lever O by the expansive force of the spring.

At the free end of the lever O is a roller h, which occupies an L-shaped slot tin a ratchet device I, pivoted by a pin j beyond the axis of The device has at its outer side a tooth or shoulder 2", and below the. latter is a curved surface 4?, concentric with the pin j. The ratchet device is rocked by the movement of the lever 0 through the engagement of the slot 2' and the roller h.

In the box is an electromaguet K in circuit with a contact-wire or third rail'(not shown) arranged in the path of an overhead or an underground trolley-wheel carried by the car. A suitable controller is provided on the car for establishing and for breaking the circuit.

Z is the armature, pivoted on a pin Z, and m is a pawl, also pivoted on said pin Z and provided with a shoulder m, engaged by the armature in the movement of the latter toward the magnet.

n is a spring confined between a shoulder on the box and the upper end of the pawl and operating to press the armature away from the magnet and to bring the lower end or point of the pawl into engagement with the tooth or shoulder c" of the ratchet device.

With the parts in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, if. the operator on the car wishes to throw the switch he manipulates the controller, which may be a pushbutton, and thereby establishes, when the trolley-wheel and wire or rail are in contact, a circuit through the magnet-coils, with the result of energizing the magnet and causing the armature to be attracted thereto. This movement of the armature rocks the'pawl against the action of its spring and disengages said pawl from the shoulder on the ratchet device, whereupon the lever O is re leased and moved by the spring G to throw the switch. In the movement of the lever O the ratchet device is rocked or partially rotated to carry the curved surface 71 into engagement with the lever end of the pawl, and thereby maintain the latter in unlocking position until the parts are reset, it being understood that in the return movement of the lever the ratchet-device is rocked in the op posite position until the shoulder thereon is brought opposite the pawl, whereupon the latter is forced by its spring to engage the shoulder and lock the ratchet device and lever 0 against movement by the spring G. The establishment of the circuit need be maintained only a comparatively short length of time, as the instant the magnet is energized the pawl is withdrawn and the ratchet device moved, and relocking of the parts cannot be efiected until the parts return to their normal or reset positions. The parts are reset by mechanical means operated by the car after it has traversed the switch. In the branch track at the proper distance from the switch is a resetting-trip 0, fixed to a short shaft 19. A suitable box q is provided to house the resetting parts, and q is a cover for the box. On the shaft 19 is fixed a crank r, and sis a lever pivoted intermediately on the crank-pin r. The lever abuts at its lower end against a shoulder g in the bottom of the box, and to the upper bifurcated end of the lever is connected one end of a rod or cable t, the other end of the rod or cable being connected to the switch-throwing lever 0 intermediate of its length. The rod or cable is adjustable as to length, being provided with a turnbuckle t and a jam-nut t to maintain the adjustment. The trip 0 is moved to reset the parts by a rail 0, operated, preferably, by the flange of a wheel on the car, and to this end said rail is positioned closely adjacent to the trackrail, as shown in Fig. 6. The resetting-rail, which is housed in an extension Q3 of the box q, is pivoted at one end by means of a hook 0 thereon, which engages a lug g in the end of the box extension. The other end of the rail 0 bears on the trip 0 and terminates in a depending shoulder '0 which by engaging the opposite end of the box extension prevents endwise movement of the resetting-rail. In the movement to the right of the lever O to throw the switch the lever s is moved through the rod or cable If in the same direction, with the result of throwing the crank and trip and elevating the rear end of the resetting-rail. The car traversing the thrown switch enters the branch track, and as it passes over the resetting device one of the car-wheels depresses the rail and trip, and through the crank and lever r s and the rod or cable 25 the lever C is moved against the action of the spring G and locked by the pawland-ratchet mechanism. Inthe return movement of the lever O the switch is reset to open the main line of track, as will be understood.

Myimproved switch throwing and resetting mechanism may be employed in connection with both right and left hand switches, the general plan being shown in my application above referred to, and hence needing no illustration here. Where both right and left hand switches are present,separate circuits and controllers are provided to efiect the switching of the car in the proper direction.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the inner end of the switch-tongue rod d is slotted for connection with the lever C. By the employment of the slot the switch may be thrown by hand independent of the electric and mechanical devices above described.

The employment of the bellcrank lever f between the spring Gand lever-arm 0 results in an increased pulling tension as the spring expands. It will be understood that the employment of the long resetting-rail, which is approached by the wheel at its pivoted end, prevents jar to the car in resetting the switch, inasmuch as the wheel will in running along the rail depress the latter gradually.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination of a switch-point, a spring-pressed lever operatively connected therewith, a pivoted ratchet device adapted to be partially rotated by the movement of the lever, a pawl adapted to engage the ratchet to lock the lever in restrained position, an electromagnet in circuit with the car, and an armature adapted when moved by the magnet to trip the pawl and release the lever.

2. The combination of a switch-throwing lever, a spring connected with one arm of the lever to move it, a pivoted ratchet device operatively engaged by another arm of the lever to partially rotate it, and a spring-pawl normally engaging the ratchet device to lock the lever against movement by its spring, and means for tripping the pawl.

3. The combination of a switch-throwing spring-pressed lever, a pivoted ratchet device having an L-shaped slot and a shoulder, a roller on the lever engaging the slot in the ratchet device whereby the latter is partially rotated by movement of the lever, a springpawl normally engaging the shoulder of the ratchet device to lock the lever against movement by itsspring, means .for tripping the pawl to release the lever, and a curved sur* face on the ratchet device below the shoulder for restraining the tripped pawl.

4:. The combination of a switch-point, a pivoted lever, a bar connected at one end with the point and slotted at its other end for loose connection with an arm of the lever, a bellcrank lever connected to another arm of the lever, a spring connected with the bell-crank lever,means for locking the lever in restrained position, and electric means for releasing the lever, and mechanical means operated by a car for resetting the lever and switch-point.

5. The combination of a spring pressed switch-throwing lever, a pivoted ratchet device engaged and moved by the lever, a springpawl normally locking the ratchet device and lever and having a shoulder, a pivoted armature engaging the shoulder on the pawl, and a magnet in circuit with the car for attract ing the armature.

6. In combination with a switch-throwing lever, a resetting-lever having rod or cable connection therewith, a crank connected with the resetting lever, a trip connected with the crank, and a pivoted rail bearing against the the crank trip. trip.

7. In combination with a spring-pressed switch-throwing lever, a resetting-lever hav- 5 ing its lower end abutting against a shoulder,

an adjustable rod or cable connecting the upper end of the resetting-lever with the switchthrowing lever, a crank on which the resetting-lever is pivoted, a trip connected with and a pivoted rail bearing on the to In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WALTER J. BELL.

Witnesses:

LEON F. Moss, E, L. KENNEY. 

